Enter The Magnificent Adah
by JuliaBeth
Summary: We all know how Ben's boys felt about Adah Menken, but how will Cassie like the actress with designs on her Pa? Sequal to Growing Up A Cartwright. Please read and review


Enter The Magnificent Adah  
  
Cassie and her best friend, Abigail Montgomery, were walking through town after school. Abigail's mother was the dressmaker in Virginia City and Abby wanted Cassie to see the new dresses her Ma had made.  
  
"They're so pretty. Maybe your Pa will buy you one then we can match," Abby said.  
  
"Uh-uh," Cassie shook her head. "Pa was complaining just the other day that I have a closet full of dresses that I never even wear. I doubt I will be getting any new clothes for a while."  
  
"Oh, really, Cassie! Mr. Cartwright buys you anything you want. All you have to do is ask."  
  
Abby shook her head. If her Ma had as much money as the Cartwrights did, she would sure dress a lot fancier than her friend did.  
  
Cassie just shook her head. Abigail would never realize that Cassie had to do chores and work, too, and lace and ribbons made mucking out stalls rather difficult.  
  
"Hey! There's Buck!" Cassie said, suddenly. She pointed to one of the horses tied in front of the International House.  
  
"Who?" Abby asked.  
  
"Buck. Pa's horse."  
  
"So?" Abby failed to see why that was so important. Cassie's Pa or one of her brothers was always in town for some reason or another.  
  
"He didn't say anything about being in town today." She walked over to the big bay horse.  
  
"Hey there, boy. What you doing here, huh?" She patted his velvety nose and he nuzzled her hand, expecting a sugar cube. She giggled, "Sorry, boy, I ain't got no treats for you. Where's my Papa? Is he inside?"  
  
"Really, Cassie, you talk as if that horse can answer you," Abby snorted.  
  
"He will in his own way," she answered, thinking Abby knew completely nothing about animals.  
  
Abigail shook her head thinking her friend could be truly weird at times.  
  
Cassie suddenly remembered the uneaten apple in her lunch pail. She pulled it out and fed it to Buck.  
  
"Gross, Buck!" She exclaimed. "You drooled all over my hand!" She shook her right hand off then looked at it with disgust. She was searching for her handkerchief with the other.  
  
"Hello, girls."  
  
She whirled around to face her Pa. "Hi, Pa. What are you doing in town today?"  
  
"I came to meet an old friend, Miss Nosey-Rosey," he answered. He turned to the lady beside him. "Adah, I'd like you to meet my daughter, Cassandra, and her friend Abigail Montgomery. Girls, this is Ms. Adah Menken."  
  
"Nice to meet you, ma'am," Abby said, automatically holding out her hand, while Cass stared at Adah as if to size her up.  
  
Adah shook her hand. "Likewise, Dear." Then she turned to Cassie. "And it a pleasure to meet you too, Cassie." She held out her hand.  
  
Abby choked down laughter as Cassie smoothly slid her right hand into Adah's.  
  
"How do you do, Ms. Menken?"  
  
"I'm just fine, Cassandra." She turned to Ben. "Ben, she's gorgeous! The picture of her mother, I take it?"  
  
Ben smiled, proudly. "She sure is."  
  
Cassie didn't care for being discussed as if she wasn't there or for Adah's overdone compliment. Seemed to Cassie like she was just trying to please Ben. But before she could say anything Adah spoke to her again.  
  
"You know the way Ben talks about you, I was expecting you to be a little girl, but you are so grown-up."  
  
"Thank you, ma'am. I got lots of homework, Papa, I guess I should be getting home." Cassie hoped Ben would say he was ready to go too. One reason because she loved riding with him, the other, because she didn't like or trust this Ms. Menken.  
  
"You're headed straight home, then?" Ben asked, wondering why she was holding her right hand out as if it was contaminated.  
  
"No, sir" she answered. "I have to stop at Mrs. Montgomery's dress shop and wash my hands."  
  
"Why?" He asked, confused.  
  
"Cause I fed your horse an apple and he slobbered all over my hand," she answered.  
  
The look on Adah's face was priceless as she realized this was the same hand Cassie had just placed in hers. Cassie herself was fighting down giggles this time. Ben noticed, but didn't pay much attention. Cassie and Abby were always giggling about something. It was just part of being a teenage girl, he figured.  
  
"Well, then you head back to the Ponderosa. You have chores to do, too."  
  
"Yes sir, Pa."  
  
"That's my good girl." He hugged her. "Goodbye, Cassie-darling."  
  
"Bye, Pa. Bye, Ms. Menken. It was a pleasure to meet you, ma'am."  
  
"You, too, Cassie, Abigail."  
  
"Yes, ma'am," Abby replied, eager to make a retreat. "Goodbye, Mr. Cartwright, Ms. Menken."  
  
She pulled on Cassie's arm, urging her away from the adults.  
  
"She must break a lot of hearts," Adah smiled up at Ben. "Pretty as she is, there must be lovesick boys lining up to court her."  
  
Ben laughed. "Not my baby girl. She is much interested in boys yet. She's more interested in the Ponderosa right now. Good thing, too."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because, I don't think her big brothers would let anyone get close enough to court her," he laughed.  
  
"Or her Papa, either," Adah added, teasingly.  
  
"Definitely not her Papa," Ben agreed.  
  
"So, when do I get to meet these wonderful sons of yours and brothers of hers?"  
  
"How about dinner, out at the ranch, tomorrow?" He proposed.  
  
"What a wonderful idea," she replied. "Of course, it would have to be before my show."  
  
"You're going to love the Ponderosa," Ben grinned.  
  
As soon as the two girls were out of the adults earshot, they burst out with giggles.  
  
"I can't believe you did that!" Abby exclaimed. "Did you see the look on her face?"  
  
"You would look like that, too, if you had Buck's spit on you," Cassie shrugged. "Nobody told her to shake my hand."  
  
"Mr. Cartwright would wallop your butt if he knew you did that on purpose."  
  
"That's why he's not going to find out."  
  
The next morning, Cassie came down for breakfast, expecting to see Ben.  
  
"Where's Pa?" She asked. Her brothers all looked at each other. They had all been to Adah Menken's show and knew exactly where their Pa was and who he was with.  
  
Not knowing how much she knew about the situation and not wanting to divulge too much to her, Adam said, "He must have stayed in town last night, Little Lady."  
  
"Oh." Her face fell. "Well, if you see him, tell him I have to have some school supplies. Since he ain't here to give the money, I'll have to put them on his account." She decided to skip breakfast, and seeing her chance to escape without a lecture from Hop Sing, she grabbed her books off the credenza and headed out to saddle Sugar.  
  
Adah Menken and her rather racy show was the talk of the school by the time Cassie got there. So was her Pa's involvement with Ms. Menken.  
  
"I heard tell that Mr. Cartwright spent the night with her." One of the boys said, as soon as Cassie was in hearing range. "My Pa says he wouldn't be surprised if they's to get married soon."  
  
"My Pa didn't spend the night with Ms. Menken, he just stayed at the hotel and he ain't marrying nobody anytime soon. AND what's more, even if he did and he was, it would not be any of your business, Sean Pritchard," Cassie snapped. She hated when people were talking about her or her family.  
  
"Whatcha' so riled about?" he continued to tease. "Ya' don't want Ms. Menken to be your new ma?" Or maybe ya' don't want your pa fooling `round with no actress?" Several kids giggled.  
  
Determined to ignore Sean, Cassie headed inside the classroom with her chin held high. She didn't see what was so wrong with being an actress. It was better than being a whore, besides, if her Pa was getting married she was sure she would know about it. Before she could make inside another boy joined in.  
  
"Aw, Sean, she ain't worried about that," Bobby said. "She's worried about John Reagen beatin' up her dear old daddy."  
  
Abby heard the boys teasing her friend and came out to see why. Sean Pritchard and Bobby Simon were just big bullies, anyway.  
  
Cassie, feeling that her pa had just been insulted, spun around on the boy. "You take that back! There ain't nobody in Nevada territory can beat MY Papa up." She was facing the boy hands on her hips and fire leaping from her emerald eyes.  
  
"Come on, Cassie" Abby pleaded. "Just ignore `em. They don't know what they're talking about." She had seen Cassie mad before and she knew her normally prim and proper friend wouldn't think twice about punching someone who was insulting her family.  
  
"Yes, I do, Abby," Bobby insisted. "MY brother told me that Mr. Cartwright was escortin' Ms. Menken around like some lovesick bullcalf and that John Reagen didn't like it one bit. Said he was hurt Ben Cartwright good for messing with his woman."  
  
"Shut up, Bobby," Cassie responded. "Your brother is as dumb as you are. John Reagen, who ever that is, can't hurt my Pa anymore than anybody else can."  
  
"Ya' mean ya' don't know who John C. Reagen is?" Sean asked.  
  
"No. Who is he?"  
  
"He's a prizefighter, only he ain't a prizefighter no-more," Sean answered.  
  
"Well, why not?" She asked, now curious about this Mr. Reagen.  
  
"Cause he killed a man," Bobby grinned, confident that he was going to shock Cassie. "Killed him with his bare hands. My guess is, he could do that to Mr. Cartwright, too."  
  
"Now, what you got to say, Big Mouth?" Sean challenged.  
  
"I say, get out my face, Monkey-boy," she replied, pushing him away and walking in the classroom with Abby. As she walked, she thought about what those two had said. What if they were right? What if John Reagen did hurt her pa? The thought was almost more than she could stand.  
  
Well, she knew one thing for certain: Her pa wasn't going to marry Adah Menken. Not if she had anything to say about it.  
  
To be continued in "Getting Rid of The Magnificent Adah" coming soon. 


End file.
